One of the greatest problems of modern day agriculture is the prevention of damage caused to growing crops by insects. This insect damage can interfere with the growth of crops, or may involve the destruction of the crops so as to prevent salability.
For example, and a frequent subject of recent publicity, is the destruction of crops by fruit flies. While various products are sold to deal with this insect infestation in the form of insecticides and pesticides, the treatments are frequently effective only cosmetically. While insects are destroyed at a particular phase of the life cycle, the reproductive cycle of the insect is not affected, and subsequent generations of the same insect appear to repeat the crop damage experienced.
Thus, repeated applications of the insecticides of the present state of the art are required on an annual, or even more frequent basis. Frequently, after a number of years, the insect damage is not even reduced, as the insects build up a tolerance and resistance to the particular insecticide and, while in some cases stronger doses are an aid, in other cases an entirely new product must be employed.
The industry has long sought a product which, after one, or only a few applications, would rid an entire area of the particular insect plague, so that repeated applications would not be required. Obviously, an insecticide which would interfere with the reproductive cycle of the insect, preventing the appearance of future generations of that insect would be most useful. To some extent, such a system has been tried and found successful when sterile insects of the particular specie to be eliminated are freed into an area to mate with the destructive insects and thus prevent reproduction. Such systems have met with limited success.
Obviously, a far more useful system would involve a chemical treatment which would interfere with the reproductive cycle of the insect and, thus, prevent the appearance of future generations of the insect. More particularly, such a treatment which would involve the use of natural materials would be most beneficial. To date, such treatments have not been available.
Similarly, animals are severely affected by insects, in many cases disease bearing insects, such as flies and mosquitos. Most often, with animals, such as cattle, the insects are attracted to the feed. Treatment of the animal feed with a material which would interfere with the reproductive cycle of the insect, while having no adverse effect on the animal or, in the case of food animals, upon humans, would be extremely desirable.
An article by B. Hue, M. Pelhate and J. Chanelet in Taurine and Neurological Disorders, edited by A. Barbeau and R. J. Huxtable, Raven Press, New York 1978, entitled "Sensitivity of Postsynaptic Neurons of the Insect Central Nervous System to Externally Applied Taurinez" refers to the use of taurine on isolated cockroach neurons. However, the amount of taurine employed is only 0.02M, while, as will be shown in this application, such an amount is insufficient to accomplish the desired results. Further, the insects treated in accordance with the referenced article were adult insects, while the present application is meant for treatment of insects in the egg stage.